Griz humble Hornets

By CARL HENNELL

The Daily Inter Lake

MISSOULA - It's safe to say the University of Montana football team is clicking on all cylinders.

In pummeling Sacramento State, 59-14, Saturday in Washington-Grizzly Stadium to open their Big Sky Conference schedule, the Grizzlies' offense tallied 413 yards of total offense and scored on nine of 12 possessions. Eight scores were touchdowns.

The defense, besides giving up a 60-yard touchdown pass late in the game, held Sac State to 160 yards of total offense, had two sweet interceptions and recorded three sacks. The special teams came up with two blocked punts while registering high averages in both punt and kickoff returns and held the Hornets to low average returns.

"It was a good result," UM coach Bobby Hauck said. "I liked the way we played. We played fast and physical. Our kids were prepared. Our offensive and defensive staffs put a nice plan together. The kids were ready for everything that they threw at us."

For the second straight game, UM punted only once.

Ironically, Sac State held the ball on offense longer than the Griz, 33 1/2 minutes to 26 1/2 minutes. Coincidentally, both teams ran the same number of offensive plays, 58. The Griz averaged 7.1 yards per play. The Hornets averaged 3.8.

Eight touchdowns?

"Some of that is a byproduct of field position, but we did score quick," Hauck said. "We hit a couple of balls down the field. On one drive it was boom-boom and we were in the end zone. We struck fast after a change of possession. We had a nice punt return and then we were in the end zone. It was like two scores in three plays. That is just how it works out sometimes. We were efficient on offense."

The Grizzlies average starting field position was the Sac State 45-yard line.

Three quarterbacks engineered at last two drives apiece for the Griz. Senior Josh Swogger started and completed 14 of 18 passes (78 percent) for 221 yards and three touchdowns in seven drives to earn the offensive player of the game award.

"That was NFL accuracy," said Sac State coach Steve Mooshagian, who was a wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. "He didn't have guys wide open. He was throwing, fitting and threading through a needle. He was everything he was advertised to be."

For the third straight game, the Griz had a different receiver leading the team. This time it was University of Washington transfer Craig Chambers. He caught his first ball as a Griz in the game and finished with five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. Eric Allen, a transfer from Oklahoma State who led the team last game, had four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Bagley of Great Falls had three catches with 46 yards and a touchdown.

All told, six different receivers caught at least one pass.

"This is one of the best groups of receivers I've ever been around," Swogger said. "It's tough not to stay excited when you've got so many weapons on offense. The receivers just make plays, they go up and they get the ball. You kind of kick yourself when you miss them. I missed one early and I told Bagley it wouldn't happen again. Then I got him for my first touchdown."

But it wasn't just the passing that had the Griz offense rolling.

Senior running back Brady Green led the way on the ground with 66 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. With the score 14-7 early in the second quarter, Green took a sweep around the left for 29 yards up the sideline and at the end of it laid out a Sac State defensive back.

"We believe in physical play in the wide receiver and running back spots and Brady, for a little guy, he's got a lot of pop," Hauck said. "He's physical runner and he had a good day. He had a great day. I'm happy for him as well as our team, but I'm fired up for Brady."

Junior transfer running back Reggie Bradshaw had 45 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Freshman backs Thomas Brooks-Fletcher and Andrew Schmidt, from Bozeman, combined for 40 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in the fourth quarter. Junior transfer Greg Coleman did not play and was walking around the sidelines in a boot. Reports say he may have suffered a broken foot against South Dakota State, but UM's policy is it doesn't talk about injuries.

In the absence of Buck Buchanan Award candidate Mike Murphy, the Griz defensive end who was out after having his appendix removed last Friday, defensive ends Dustin Dlouhy and Kroy Biermann led charge on defense for the Griz.

Dlouhy registered 11 tackles with 1 1/2 tackles for losses and half of a sack to earn the defensive player of the game award. Biermann had eight tackles with two tackles for losses and 1 1/2 sacks. They helped to limit the Hornets, who came into the game with the threat of a mobile quarterback, to 89 yards rushing on 37 attempts. That's 2.4 yards per carry.

"Up front, we did a really good job controlling our gaps," Biermann said. "The quarterback was mobile. They kind of ran a three-way option. We were expecting kind of a two-way, and they threw in a pitch to the back. We adjusted to that well with it being my responsibility to close down on the pitch and still play the quarterback out."

Both Dlouhy and Biermann, from Hardin, said playing the whole game - because of Murphy's absence - reminded them of playing in high school.

"It was awesome," Dlouhy said. "Me and Kroy were smiling the whole time. You've got no other pressures, no other worries, you just cut loose and play."

On special teams, Butte sophomore Colt Anderson made his pitch to become a player of the week for the Griz for the third straight week. The former walk-on blocked a punt in the beginning of the second half and one play later, Swogger hit Bagley for a 27-yard TD to give the Griz a 31-7 lead. Muckie Foreman blocked Sac State's second punt of the game and three plays after it, Bradshaw scored his second touchdown.

"My hat goes off to the University of Montana," Mooshagian said. "They kicked our butt in every aspect of the game. When you go through a game like that, there's really not too much you can say."

The Hornets fell to 0-3 on the season.

The Griz are now 1-0 in conference play and 2-1 on the season. They play at Portland State, which is expected to be the biggest challenge of the season for the Griz, next weekend.